Grandpa Lolo's Navajo Saddle Blanket

Recuerdos ViVos New Mexico and Teatro Paraguas present a staged reading of Nasario's simple yet transcendent story of an enduring friendship between a Hispanic rancher and a Navajo herder and weaver in the early part of the twentieth century. Adapted and directed by Shebana Coelho, the readings features Nasario Garcia playing the role of his grandfather Teodoro (Lolo) and Oscar Rodriguez as Manuelito Yazzie. The cast also includes Amador Gonzales in the role of the young Nasario, and Ana Maria Gonzalez, Crawford MacCallum, and Argos MacCallum. The actual tilmas from the story will be available for viewing, and historical photographs will be projected.

Nasario García, a native New Mexican, was born in Bernalillo, but grew up in Ojo del Padre (Guadalupe), New Mexico in the Río Puerco valley southeast of Chaco Canyon. Considered a leading folklorist in New Mexico, Nasario has published 10 books in Spanish (the language of his countrymen and women) and English related to folklore and oral history. For the past thirty-plus years he has worked tirelessly to preserve the rich Hispanic culture and language of northern New Mexico. Besides his bilingual works on folklore and prose stories—the latter for adults as well as children—that depict a disappearing way of life in rural life New Mexico, García’s books of poetry also capture the spirit of his childhood in his village of Ojo del Padre. As he says in Bolitas de oro: Poems of My Marble-Playing Days, "Since reliving one’s past is not an option, offering a poetic vision of my upbringing in rural New Mexico was the next best thing." Visit his website at nasariogarciaphd.com

Grandpa Lolo lives on a ranch in northern New Mexico. When he buys a black-and- white horse named Zorrillo (skunk) from Manuelito Yazzie, a Navajo who lives in a hogan in Torreón, Manuelito throws a tilma, a beautiful Navajo saddle blanket, into the deal. And so begins a beautiful friendship. This bilingual tale offers an authentic slice of life in the multicultural West and will warm the hearts of readers of all ages.

"This is a lovely story, told simply and with great charm, a tale for children of all ages, including me. Its message? Somos todos amigos. We're all friends."--John Nichols, author of The Milagro Beanfield War "An endearing and educational children's book about friendship. Told in a simple and gentle and entertaining way, this story is also about the rich customs and mores of both the Navajo Indian and Hispanic traditions in New Mexico."--Francisco Jiménez, author of The Circuit